Ossan Saikyō Chapter 6 Part 02
After walking for about fifteen minutes, my【Presence Detection】picked something up. There were 7, ahead in the forest, already heading toward us.
That was quite a large number; maybe this was Rani’s skill at work again.
“The number’s high. Freynil, prepare『Halo』.”
(E/N: Halo, code word for «Divine Glory», to maintain skill secrecy!)
“Understood.”
Freynil began concentrating. I positioned myself to guard both her and Miss Hofena beside her. Rani would act as a skirmisher.
The rustling sounds of movement through the trees reached us. It grew louder, naturally, since they were closing in.
“Magic is ready.”
“Not yet… not yet… now!”
The forest was flooded with light, and strained cries-
Gyuoo…
-rose from all around. The Unicorn Rabbits must have realized they’d been weakened. Even so, they didn’t stop attacking.
Rabbit-like creatures the size of medium dogs, each with a long horn on its forehead, burst out of the undergrowth one after another.
“Isn't this what they call a feeding frenzy!?”
Rani used【Dash】to dart around, cleanly severing the rabbits’ heads. With her【Critical Strike】skill, every single one went down in a single blow.
Two rushed at me as well. If I struck them with my mace, I’d shatter their horns, so I grabbed each by the horn as they leapt. Thanks to the【Grip】skill, no matter how much they struggled, their horns wouldn’t slip from my hands.
I slammed their bodies against a tree trunk, ending them.
(E/N: God da*n!)
“Amazing~ seven horns all at once!”
Lady Hofena practically skipped with excitement. It had been a fairly dangerous situation, but she didn’t seem to mind.
“Hmm? Soushi, I think there are still more.”
Rani sniffed again. According to Hofena, they shouldn’t appear this frequently… just as I thought that,【Presence Detection】reacted again.
This time there were six, but one felt stronger. A Boss, or maybe a rare individual.
“Freynil, can you fire another『Halo』?”
“I can. Leave it to me.”
The rustling drew closer. Five in vanguard, the special one trailing at the back.
“Rani, there’s a different one at the rear. Might be stronger. Be careful.”
“Got it. Can I leave it to you, Soushi?”
“Yeah, I’ll handle it.”
“Magic ready.”
Freynil spoke at the same moment the first one burst out.
“Go!”
Light flooded the surroundings again. The first rabbit had already had its head taken off by Rani.
The remaining four emerged, but their movements were sluggish from the weakening effect. After taking them out, Rani circled behind me to guard Lady Hofena. Her instincts were impressive.
The special one finally appeared between the trees. It was big, about the size of a large dog. And it had two horns.
“Bicorn Rabbit? It's a rare species~ secure the horns!”
Lady Hofena shouted excitedly. Either she had nerves of steel, or she was just that obsessed with materials.
The Bicorn Rabbit fixed its red eyes on me and charged at incredible speed. Even weakened, it was fast; it must have been quite formidable normally.
I grabbed both horns head-on. The force almost drove them into me, but【Steel Body】prevented that.
“Hmph!”
I twisted the horns sideways. The Bicorn Rabbit had some strength, but unable to resist mine, it toppled over. At that moment, I twisted the horns in the opposite direction.
Crack!
Its neck snapped. Its body twitched once, then went still.
(E/N: I tell you, the amount of testosterone within me spiked. This is SPARTA!)
“We did it! Soushi-san, that was incredible! I can make so much medicine now, and even from a Bicorn! I can’t believe this!”
Lady Hofena grabbed Freynil’s hands and started dancing. Freynil blinked in confusion, going “Eh!? Eh!?”. The dancing continued until Rani, smiling wryly, stopped it.
◇◆◇
“Thank you so much for today. This has been the best day I’ve ever had. Please let me request your services again!”
After completing the request procedures at the guild, Lady Hofena grabbed both my hands and spoke excitedly.
“Well… I think today was just a series of coincidences…”
That said, this was probably the combined effect of my【Bad Luck】and Lani’s【Jinx】. If we got another request, we’d find out for sure.
“Thank you too, Freynil-chan, Rani-chan. You were both amazing. I think this party will become famous. Keep it up!”
With that, Lady Hofena left carrying her spoils (12 horns plus 2 rare ones). I wondered if she’d make it back to the Apothecary Guild safely in that state.
“Soushi-san, the procedures here are complete as well. The escort request is now finished.”
Mariane spoke from behind me.
“Thank you. It was a valuable experience.”
“And the appraisal of the skill orb is complete. As expected, it is【Vault】.”
We had actually obtained a skill orb from the Bicorn Rabbit. According to the contract, all horns belonged to Lady Hofena, but everything else was ours to keep.
“I see. We’ll use it ourselves.”
“You really are fortunate, Soushi-san. I don’t know any party that has obtained two skill orbs in such a short time.”
“Yeah. We do seem to encounter rare monsters often.”
After receiving the orb, I called out to Freynil and Rani, and we left the guild.
“Now then, who should use this skill orb…”
Back at the inn, I gathered the two of them in the room for a discussion.
“It was【Vault】, right? What kind of skill is it?”
Rani asked, eyes sparkling as she stared at the orb in my hand.
“As the name suggests, it lets you jump higher. But if you jump too high, you might take damage when you land.”
“Hmm. Still, it sounds useful. You’d be able to reach monsters in high places.”
“Yeah. Considering combat style, I think it’s best if you use it, Rani. What do you think?”
“I agree with Soushi-sama.”
Freynil answered instantly… though hopefully she wasn’t just agreeing with everything I said.
Rani perked her ears and looked at me.
“Really? You’re the one who defeated it.”
“As a party, we should prioritize what strengthens us the most. It doesn’t suit my fighting style. Combined with【Dash】, it’ll be especially effective. You’re the best choice.”
“In that case, I want to use it.”
Rani’s tail wagged as she took the orb from my hand.
“How do I use it?”
“Just hold it and wish for the skill.”
She closed her eyes while gripping the orb. Her body twitched slightly; it must have worked.
“Oh, it’s coming in… yeah, this opens up a lot of possibilities. Thanks, Soushi.”
Her tail swished wildly. Since she clearly sought strength, gaining a rare skill must have made her very happy.
“When we get a good skill suitable for Freynil, we’ll have you use one, too. Until then, hang in there.”
“Yes. Thank you, Soushi-sama.”
I made sure to reassure Freynil as well. She seemed sensitive, and I didn’t want her to feel overlooked.
As she relaxed slightly, Rani tapped her shoulder.
“Freynil, didn’t you have something you wanted to ask Soushi?”
“Eh? No, not really…”
“Really? You wanted to ask about Hofena, right?”
“…! That’s… Um…”
Freynil looked down, fidgeting. Rani grinned mischievously.
“Is there something you want to ask? Don’t hold back.”
“…Um… I was wondering… Soushi-sama… whether you… like someone like Hofena-san…”
“Hofena-san?”
“Um… I thought maybe you did… you were watching her closely when she was gathering herbs…”
“…Huh?”
So that’s what she thought. I guess girls her age worry about things like that. Well, it’s understandable; if the party leader got distracted by a beautiful elf, it would be awkward, to say the least.
“I was just observing how she gathered herbs. I wasn’t interested in her personally.”
“I… see?”
“She is beautiful, sure, but that alone isn’t enough to make me like someone.”
“See? Isn't that good, Freynil?”
“I’m… relieved.”
Freynil let out a deep breath, clearly reassured.
“Right now, the most important people to me are my two party members. I’m not going to be distracted by anything else.”
That should settle things, hopefully.
“The most important… yes, I’m happy.”
“Hm. That wasn’t bad… I guess?”
I couldn’t quite read their reactions, but I chose to believe our party bond had grown a little stronger.
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E/N:
Yes, Party as well as Love bond, have grown stronger!
Stay tuned!
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